004: Leading the Future of Your Childhood City With Mayor Michael Nutter

Childhoods By Wonderschool

Our guest today is former Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter. After growing up in Philadelphia, Mike has spent his adult life giving back to the community that raised him. Between his education initiative, Running Start, to joining Wonderschool as a senior advisor in 2021, he has been a consistent advocate for high-quality learning for all children from birth to age five.

In our conversation, we discuss Mike’s experience growing up in West Philadelphia during a time of rapid change in the city. Without many daycare options, his mother took almost ten years off from work to raise him and his siblings. For Mike, this meant being engaged in an enriching and nurturing environment of play and learning every day with those closest to him. Experiencing this in his early years helped him to understand the importance of close-knit childcare options and has informed his approach to public policy ever since.

Now, as a grown adult with children of his own, Mike advocates for individualizing education options for children to ensure their success, just as his mother did for him.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Mike’s experience with at-home childcare provided by his mother
• What Mike believes adults need to do to help children explore and realize their dreams
• How individualizing success plans could help children of all walks of life reach their potential
• Why it is so important to give back to your community

Resources from this episode: Michael Nutter’s website: www.Mikenutterllc.com

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.